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PRESEASON GAMES WITH BERNIE HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF SOME OF MY SEASONS

I created this blog after the first preseason game last season.  This is the first content I have ever posted here.  And ironically enough it may be the last...

Oh no I'm not stopping now, but I am considering changing to a more ambiguous Cleveland Sports Memes site very soon.  But that is not why I am posting this today.

Yesterday I received news that Bernie Kosar had been relieved of his duties as color commentator for Browns preseason broadcasts.  Bernie had become a staple of the preseason.  To be honest who better to be there for fans when hope is still high, than the last QB to have any real success in Cleveland?

The thing about Bernie that made him unique was his tremendous insight into the game.  Nearly every play, Bernie would give his reads on the defenses that were shown.  It was nice to see the game through the eyes of someone who knew what the players should be looking for.  And when it was done, as a fan you felt like you had a better understanding of the strategies being employed by both sides.

Bernie also had a knack for letting you know his exact feelings on a particular player.  His main focus was ususally on QBs and WRs.  Good ones would earn Bernie's praise, but if you weren't so good Bernie usually had a few zingers for you.  And Bernie hadn't had much reason to be very complimentary of the Browns for his career as broadcaster.  But that is what made Bernie great, his honesty.

He also added a fair share of humor to his calls as well. One of his best gags was countering his harsh criticism by being over complimentary to any Miami Hurricanes that would be in the game, which was always funny.  It didn't matter where Ken Dorsey threw a ball, he WAS the future.

Overall, he usually made a meaningless game quite fun.  And looking back on some of our bleaker seasons, Bernie in the preseason was really the highlight of the whole year.  With Bernie there you learned and you laughed.  What more could you ask for?

Then came the 2013 preseason opener vs. the St.Louis Rams.  This was a bizarre game because the Browns came out hot, and looked like a well oiled unit versus the Rams that game.  And the Rams countered with some particularly embarrassing Wide Receiver play.  Bernie recognized the struggles and gave the unit a fairly good tongue lashing throughout the game.  Then at the end of the game when the Rams put QB Kellen Clemens into the game, Bernie saved his biggest zingers yet.  Bernie had remembered Clemens from his time as a Jets backup and wasn't impressed.  Even quipping after a Jim Donovan story that Clemens had met the pope saying, "Bless me father for I have sinned, I have to watch him the whole 4th quarter."

While Bernie was in rare form that game, most fans saw it as a successful opener.  While under most circumstances this would have been another forgettable preseason game, this one created some buzz.  The NFL Network will replay all preseason games over the following week.  They generally use the home team's local broadcast, which in this case was the WKYC broadcast with Jim and Bernie.  The game caught the attention of national sports writer Peter King.

Peter King didn't stop with Bernie bashing last year, he was a leading figure in the "Trade Josh Gordon to New England for a 4th round pick", that went on before the trade deadline

Peter King then brought the attention to his friend Jeff Fischer, who coached the Rams.  Fischer was not happy with what Bernie had said about his team.  King fueled the fire, by quoting Kosar's commentary on his twitter page, using his voice to get the ear of the Browns front office.  Bernie was quickly reprimanded and was asked to apologize.

Bernie commented on the incident repeatedly over the other three games.  He stayed away from his usual harsh analysis, and finished out the preseason giving his usual good insights without incident.

Then came the news that Bernie was fired form his position.  Many people began blasting Bernie's personal life as a reason for the reason for his termination.  I refuse to comment on Bernie's personal life because I don't know Bernie personally, and have no idea.  But I do know that regardless of the reason for the termination, it all began with Peter King's comments.

And while I will agree Bernie isn't exactly a "professional quality" broadcaster, he was unique and original.  However in the end, the Peter King clones of the media demand cookie cutter, positive reporting. Hell even ESPN has Jon Gruden loving EVERYBODY right now.  And in the end those people won, and it is ridiculous and sad.

So sadly the Browns have given in and hired former Cincinnatti Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers DB, Solomon Wilcots.  I don't recall Solomon being a huge friend of the Dawg Pound in his broadcast career as well.  And that just sucks.  

So Jimmy bad move, why don't you put Solomon in the box with Jim Donovan , and let Bernie read defenses.  I hope that maybe as the season draws closer we can start a #FreeBernie movement.  I really hope that the right people complain and maybe we can get Bernie back on the air.

    

Follow me on Twitter @BrownsMemes

DEAR PROSPECT, DID YOUR COLLEGE GET YOU READY FOR THE PROS?

I always thought that in general, college was the stepping stone to prepare you for your professional life.  But something has happened to the game of football.  Over the past decade, the game of college football has evolved a great deal.  Gone are the safe, conservative traditional offenses of years past.  Present day college football features offenses so far removed from what they can expect in the professional ranks it begs the question... Is the current scouting system in place for college talent an outdated one?

I've already written about the top QBs coming out in the draft.  I gave unfavorable grades to nearly all of them.  But you will notice if you look at the article, never once do I knock one of these young men's ability to throw the ball.  My concerns go deeper than just physical ability.  The best QBs in history weren't just great throwers, they were great decision makers, leaders, etc.

My concerns aren't even so much with the player, but how the player knows the game.  The average NFL coach's attitude about teaching fundamentals to a young player coming into the league isn't where it should be.  With all the evolution in the college game happening at a rapid rate, the evolution of the NFL mindset has proved to be slow.  With the hiring of Kyle Shanahan, and the free agent signing of FB Chris Pressley, it has become more obvious the Browns are looking to run a traditional west coast offense in 2014.

So what is it about these college offenses that scare me?  Nothing, they work... in college.  A well executed "gimmick" college offense can be devastating to an opposing defense.  But they don't prepare guys for the next level properly.  Instead they seduce scouts with inflated statistics and exciting highlights.

Lets take a look at the elements of a good "gimmick" college offense and relate them to a pro style offense:

No Huddle: The biggest difference between playing offense and defense is that offense is about executing a strategy, white defense is about reading and reacting to that strategy.  Up tempo offenses in college are demoralizing for defenses.  Giving less time for defenses to get set, creates confusion for QBs to exploit.  Playcalling in this format is vastly different than what almost all professional teams run.  Most QBs can call quick audibles in these offenses and have full control of what is going on.  Traditional NFL offenses rely on vastly different language and take the control out of a QBs hands.  Further more, up tempo offenses also have less time between throws, allowing many QB's to get into a nice rhythm.  Many good college QB's careers have come to a screeching halt in the huddle..

Shotgun / Spread: Many of the modern college offenses have transitioned to an offense that no longer requires a QB to take snaps from under center.  Being in shotgun in every single play with 3,4 or even 5 WRs becomes a matchup nightmare for defenses.  Having up 5 or 6 defensive backs on the field at all times is a great way to create matchup nightmares.  This isn't only an advantage for QBs exploiting matchups, but also RB's who can exploit 5 and 6 man defensive fronts.  Seeing Brandon Weeden was an eye opening experience, as he failed repeatedly to recognize simple linebacker zone coverages.  Moving to a standard pro offense forces a player to completely relearn defensive strategies.

While on it's own learning defensive strategies is a lot lets not forget something else.  The shotgun offensive system doesn't provide an opportunity to learn simple fundamentals to pro quarterbacking.  Learning the footwork for a 3,5 or 7 step drop back will need to be learned.  Learning how to execute play action and rollout plays tend to be problematic for QBs not used to running them.  Even simple things like taking direct snaps can be tough when they have to be learned at the pro level.

Read Option / Misdirection:  If these gimmicks aren't enough for coaches many of these offenses also feature an option element.  Outside of Chip Kelly's Philadelphia offense nobody in the NFL will cater to this element of a college system.  The read option game is becoming a highly successful strategy in the college ranks.  But the issue is that an option offense creates holes in coverages that QBs and RBs alike can exploit.  Coming into the pros the game changes entirely.  All of the "invisible blockers" that an option offense creates are gone.  And if Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel fail this year, I think more people might start realizing this fact.

As much as I am bashing these types of offense for creating professional quality QBs and RBs I do have another take on the matter.  I believe that these types of offenses have done one positive thing for the NFL.  I think that they have created dynamic offensive linemen, and some beastly defensive players.  The reason is that in these offensive system many quick hitters and screens are prevalent.  Many linemen find that moving to a pro offense is a simple transition, because more was asked of them in college.

The same can be said about the defenders who are tasked on defending these offenses week to week.  Option offenses create defenders who must be disciplined in their assignments.  Once they are introduced into the NFL, they don't have to worry about as much on the field.  Pro coaches are treated to a rookie who comes in with good habits and likely embracing the prospect of not worrying so much about misdirection and options.

So here is the question for the Browns: If we aren't going to tailor an offense around the guy we pick, are we going to pick a guy tailored to our offense?  I'm sorry but if you covet a guy at the top of this draft you might want to consider an overhaul of your offensive strategy or it might be Weeden v2.0.

Let me know what you think on Twitter @BrownsMemes

DAVID MURPHY IS NOW "GOOD GUY MURPHY"

Whenever a new player comes to either the Browns and Indians I immediately jump to learn about the player as much as possible.  When I was looking up things about David Murphy, I stumbled across something unexpected.

A Texas Rangers fan created a site @ www.goodguymurphy.tumblr.com that had already praised the good deeds done by David in his time in Texas.  So who am I to see such an incredible tradition get ended here in Cleveland.

Here was the first one I found...

So then Opening Day happened and David looked really bad...

But suddenly David caught fire and began doing good things again...

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Send me your own, tag with #GoodGuyMurphy

WEEK IN REVIEW: LETS GO TO THE MOVIES, WRESTLEMANIA, AND MORE BASEBALL

Yes Browns fans, they finally made a movie about the team.  And as expected, most of Cleveland is jacked up about it.

One observation that I made on the move was that Denis Leary plays the coach of the Browns.  Honestly I most remember Leary for this...

But that got me thinking of another Browns coach...

Then we had to deal with the drama of the Alex Mack transition tag drama.  A quick trip to Google left me confused...

But if the Mack drama did anything good, through Twitter Browns fans struck up a nice new rivalry with the fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars...

The Indians had a rough week.  And Justin Masterson made me look like an asshole too...

But the emergence of David Murphy is encouraging.  He's such a Good Guy! #GoodGuyMurphy

And more "shocking" revelations in the incredibly long trek to this year's draft...

But a week ago was the WWE's premiere show, Wrestlemania.  I hadn't watched a WWE event in years, but the return of the Ultimate Warrior sparked my interest.  While Warrior was awesome to see, the big shock of the event was the fact that Brock Lesnar was the wrestler to end the Undertaker's Wrestlemania winning streak.  Any one who watched it take place shared this guy's reaction...

But sadly, just two days later the Ultimate Warrior provided the biggest shock of all...

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THE CLOSEST THING TO A "MOCK DRAFT" I WILL DO

We are still about a month off from the NFL Draft. But since I have seen mock drafts since January, I'm not going to feel too bad about jumping the gun.  I will preface my "Mock" by saying that the exciting part of this draft is the unpredictability of what might actually happen.  So instead of trying to predict what is going to actually happen, I am going to put together this draft in the most likely scenario for a draft following the "Browns Rules for drafting."  If you have followed the team like I have you will know, there are some simple rules for our team to follow in the draft:

• The guy most of the fan base wants is just out of our reach
• The guy we end up with has some question marks and we fear we may have reached
• We pass on a player perceived to be more impactful than the pick we make
• Fans aren't left completely satisfied we did our best

I think most of you will agree with that so with no further delay, I present the "Browns Rules" mock draft.

#1 Houston Texans: QB Blake Bortles, UCF -

The Texans went from the elevator to the penthouse, to tumbling into the outhouse.  They will be tempted to go a different direction, but in the end they are going to take "The Prototype" QB of the draft, and just hope.  I've said before I think Bortles needs to be taught simple fundamentals, and fear the offense he comes from hasn't prepared him for the NFL style of football.   But hey at least they aren't going to be the team that drafted both of the Carr brothers.

#2 St. Louis Rams: OT Greg Robinson, Auburn - 

The Rams will be in great position to take a safe pick for their offense.  Greg Robinson is this year's "can't miss" offensive lineman.  This will be encouraging to many Browns fans, because at this point they will know that either Sammy Watkins or Johnny Manziel will be available for the Browns at #4.

#3 Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M - 

This is where the Browns fans begin to freak out a little.  Jacksonville will not be able to resist the urge to take Johnny Football, because they struggle to sell tickets.  This will be a move by the team to get themselves onto prime time telecasts, sell jerseys and expand the fan base.  It will likely work for them for a bit, but in the end I think the Jags role in this draft will be saving some team who was hoping he would fall to them from themselves.  And now that Johnny is gone here comes the #4 pick!

#4 Atlanta Falcons (via trade w/ Browns): DE Jadeveon Clowney - 

Here is where Browns twitter goes into full meltdown mode.  I foresee the prospect of Clowney being there too tempting for the Browns to leverage into future draft picks.  So they go ahead and make a move.  The Atlanta Falcons will like pay dearly for the pick, and the Browns will move down two spots to #6.  Everyone happy, but the fans.

#5 Oakland Raiders: WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson - 

At this point in the draft, heads begin to explode in Cleveland.  Watkins looks to be the most explosive playmaker in this year's draft.  And another guy high on many Browns fan's wish list for this draft ends up somewhere else.  So now we put the Browns back on the clock...

#6 Cleveland Browns (via trade w? Falcons): OLB Khalil Mack, Buffalo - 

And Browns Twitter officially blows up at this point.  While most people don't realize it, Khalil Mack may very well be the #1 guy on the Browns draft board after a guy like Greg Robinson.  I don't know that this front office covets Derek Carr or Teddy Bridgewater enough to pull the trigger in the top 10 of this draft, and I think Ray Farmer wants his official first pick to be a "lock".  While Mack might be a stretch for being a "lock," he has a ton of potential to be a huge playmaker for this Browns defense.

While I am at it, I will make predictions on who we will land in the first two round of the draft.

#26 - CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech

#35 - WR Allen Robinson, Penn State

Love it, Hate it you can tell me on Twitter @BrownsMemes

THE OFFSEASON: MY WEEK IN REVIEW - TRIBE OPENING DAY!!!

Well I am enjoying my offseason the only logical way.  Enjoying my second favorite sport, baseball.  The home opener yet again became a disaster, at least for a while.  Big rains delayed the game, and then it got bleak for a moment, until the Tribe poured it on late in the game and took the win.

 
It was good to see Al Pawlowski on getting me ready for the game.  #NoPantski

This season's Indians don't seem to care to score early in games, or have solid starting Pitching.  This has led to many games being nervous affairs. #NewKardiacKids

But I haven't forgotten about the Browns...

I have heard rumors of people believing that Derek Carr being the Browns choice for their #4 pick:

Yes sir, the king of the spread out, bubble screens and quick hitters is thought to be our guy by a chosen few.  And with Weeden now whining that nobody here was mentoring him and teaching him fundamentals, he forgets this is the professional level where most coaches don't believe that they should have to teach fundamentals.  I fear Carr is just a disaster waiting to happen, a Weeden v2.0.  So I don't think he's the guy, so if his name does get called...

But in the meantime we still have plenty of Tribe baseball to watch.

TIME TO CHANGE GEARS AND ROOT FOR THE TRIBE

For the entire season this site was solely dedicated to the Cleveland Browns.  But they only play 16 games a year, and we have lots of other interests.  And while we aren't going to be undergoing a major format change, it doesn't hurt to show some love for our another Cleveland based sports organization.  So with no furthur delay I bring you a Cleveland Indians meme blast in honor of opening day.  Have fun you have some scrolling to do.